Episode 52 - Be-Leaf Them or Not? With Steve Simmons from The Toronto Sun

The Toronto Maple Leafs are always in the news and, amidst some recent struggles, uncertainty is once again setting in as to whether the team has the goods to end its 58-year Stanley Cup drought. Longtime Toronto Sun writer Steve Simmons joins the show to go in depth on their prospects.

With the regular season ending in just over four weeks, Vic and Neil check out those looking to secure the final wild card spots in the East, flip the discussion to the heavyweights in the central division and then talk about a player whose attempt at generosity backfired on his team.

We have a usual player note plus, in The Human Side of Story, an AHL GM just traded his son...and got nothing immediate in return.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:53] - In "Three Things You Need to Pay Attention To," we're watching as the Ottawa Senators are not only pushing to wrap up a Wild Card, but, perhaps threatening the Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic.

[08:15] - Steve Simmons joins the show and Neil poses the question whether the Leafs get the same grief about their title drought as he did three-plus decades ago in New York.

[13:33] - With a Stanley Cup hardened head coach, Simmons shares whether he sees a different spring on the horizon based on the composition of the team.

[21:33] - Mitch Marner's future in Toronto remains uncertain beyond this season. There's a more layers to this story than what appears on the surface.

[30:55] - Auston Matthews season has been inconsistent by his standards. Is it Injury, new system or both?

[34:58] - Simmons speaks to the importance of Chris Tanev.

[41:05] - Moving away from the Leafs but, staying in Canada, will Winnipeg's magnificent regular season translate to playoff success?

[44:23] - Simmons transitions from the Jets back to his earliest days covering hockey in the 1980's bridging similar stories of a young Wayne Gretzky and a young Connor McDavid.

[52:20] - Scrub of the Eastern bubble clubs

[1:01:01] - Scrub of the Western bubble club

[1:07:19] - The Dallas Stars faced two Central Division powers in Winnipeg and Colorado during the weekend, the latter being Mikko Rantanen's return to Denver. Despite an overtime and regulation loss, does this make the Stars any less formidable?

[1:11:47] - Tomas Hertl learns a hard lesson

[1:13:55] - Player Notes

[1:16:04] - The Human Side of the Story focuses on an AHL GM who just traded his son. Believe it or not, it's happened before.

X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound

Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil

Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/

NHL Wraparound Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/

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